Unstoppable Inferno, Uncontrollable Flood
by Hikareh
Summary: In a medieval Mobius, Users of various elements rule the world. One Water User-called Tails-is tasked with a quest from the Echidna princess. He is paired with a blue Fire User with the ability to run with the wind. Will he succeed in his quest or fail?
1. Part I

_**Unstoppable Inferno, Uncontrollable Flood**_

_**A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction. **_

_Part 1_

_By Hikari-san42_

_Rating: T – for curse words and violence; no death._

_Pairing(s): None_

_Summary: In the medieval Mobius, Users of Water, Fire, and Gaia are able to manipulate the elements surrounding them to do their bidding. One Water User – a young fox with double tails – is challenged with a task from the Echidna princess. He is to travel across the land, accompanied by a blue criminal with a gift in Fire and the ability to run with the speed of the Wind. Will he be able to control his unlikely friend and complete his quest?_

_Warnings: __**STRONG AU**__ – Jump from cannon. Fantasy story. OOC Characters, and a few forgotten characters making an appearance. _

_**NOTES: **__(Expanded upon more on the bottom) This is a gift for Yami-sama42 for our third Friendaversary on the 28__th__ of June. It is also my contribution to the Sonic 20__th__ Anniversary celebration. I know it's not all nostalgic and junk like Generations and every other piece of fanart and fanfiction coming out for the celebration, but I like to challenge the norm. This will encompass as many characters as I can shove in, and I will try to include as many places as possible. Also, as it has a deadline on when it needs to be finished, __**THIS IS MAINLY A COLLECTION OF SCENES CONNECTED BY ONE SOLID PLOT**__. Please keep this in mind as you read. Thank you._

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><p>"You called, Lady Tikal?" A high pitched voice asked, bowing low at the waist and allowing large eyes to close. Once the appropriate three seconds had passed, the young one rose, standing to his full height. He was tiny, only about eight years old, but his large blue eyes sparked with an intelligence that even the most weathered of scholars couldn't boast. Two tails sprouted behind him, constantly in motion, and a thick tablet was clutched in his arms.<p>

"Yes, Sir Miles," the woman seated in front of the fox answered, standing and gracefully stepping down towards him. She was young as well, though not as young as the male, with red-orange fur that hung in thick, long tresses around her head. Her eyes were a crystal blue, and a small unassuming crown rested on her brow. She held herself with nobility, but she allowed her features to show the stress of what she was undergoing. "I have a quest for you."

The kit's eyes widened and he swept lowly again. "I will do my best to fulfill whatever it is you may ask of me."

"As you know, our enemies are encroaching further and further into our boundaries, and our numbers are dwindling. I need you to go to the far reaches of our land and seek out the one called Knuckles. He has the key to our success."

"Yes, milady. I will do my best." He looked at her, a hint of fear in his eyes. "Is anyone to accompany me?"

"Yes, my mage," she clapped her hands, and two guards clanked their way in, weighed down by heavy armor. Between them, they carried a bloodied and bedraggled form. The fox had to struggle to keep a gasp from escaping his lips. "My guards have informed me that this criminal has been effectively neutralized and that he wishes to help with our cause. You may know of him."

The guards threw the limp being onto the floor between the young one and the female, and he lay there, unconscious.

"_Sonic_?" The mage twisted around, dropping the tablet in his hands. "Sonic the Hedgehog, Lady Tikal? He's the man who almost killed you in your sleep!"

The princess raised her hands, making a calming motion towards the fox. "Calm, young Tails," he froze at the familiar nickname. "I know you are still young and easily impressionable, but I also know that you are not easily sold on public opinion. I trust that you will give him the benefit of the doubt and allow him to help you in your quest. He could prove to be most useful."

Tails gulped low in his throat as the blue form on the ground started to twitch. "How can we be sure that he can be trusted?"

"We can't." Blunt and to the point, Tikal smoothly swung a hand towards the slowly waking hedgehog. "But do you not see his gloves, Mage Tails? They are fingerless; the sign of a Fire User." She then moved her hand around to gesture to the fox's own gloves. "Much the same way yours do not possess fabric to cover your palms. I'm sure you could control him easily."

The kit looked down at his hands, permanently wrinkled from constant practice of his Craft, and he smoothly ran a gloved finger over the bare skin of his palm, not blocked by the pristine white that dictated his position. "I still don't understand… Why have you deemed that he be worthy of a Royal Quest?"

The princess's eyes twinkled as she turned to go sit back on her throne and review the battle commands sent from her father on the frontlines. "We are but pawns, young one. You are yet too naïve to understand the complex game going on around you, but you shall, soon enough."

With a heavy sigh, Tails turned, taking the tone used by the girl as one of dismissal. Passing by the blue comatose form on the ground, he stopped near the hands, leaning down and grabbing one gently, eyeing the fingertips. They were blackened, not tan like the rest of his arms and hands, confirming what the princess had been hinting at. With another sigh, he let the hand drop, standing and starting towards the large wooden doors.

Before he could take one step however, a loud concussive _boom_ sounded behind him and the entrance exploded into flames, licking eagerly at the timber and moving towards the equally wooden ceilings.

Tails reacted quickly, throwing both hands out with a thick, startled cry and letting long jets of clear, pure water shoot out of his palms and into the fire. The liquid extinguished the blaze quickly, and Tails could feel his fur standing on end as he turned slowly to see the source of the inferno.

Sonic the Hedgehog, attempted murderer and apparently reformed criminal, was grinning hugely, sending a shiver up the young fox's spine. "Hello, fellow User." His eyes twinkled and he sat up easily from where he was lying on his stomach, blowing away the smoke that was drifting off the tips of his fingers. "Shall we play a game of wits, or of might?"

o0o

To say Tails was upset would have been an understatement. He stormed his way into the Captain of the Guard's office in a blind rage, frozen water crystals hanging about his head like some unearthly crown. The air in the room dropped ten degrees as his anger rolled off him in tangible waves, making every person he passed shiver.

Everyone in the palace knew of the young fox, having seen him doing odd jobs for the princess or running around with the children that inhabited the stronghold. He had captured the hearts of everyone, even the princess, because of his young face and innocent behavior. His past was shrouded in mystery, and not a single soul could actually pinpoint exactly when he had shown up in the building.

He was a Mage – one of a select group of people who could manipulate the elements around them – and so was gifted with white gloves, a privilege usually reserved for those of noble birth or high learning. (Since Mobians didn't wear clothes, the style and color of the gloves would tell someone all they needed to know about a person, whether they be commoner or royalty.) Not one person had seen him angry, so it was a sight to behold as he stomped around the castle, throwing ice crystals about as if they were playthings. His gift was Water, and he could summon it from nowhere, as well as conjure it and throw it any direction, in any form. He was a force to be reckoned with when angry, and everyone took extra care to be out of his way.

He slammed open the doors to the Captain of the Guard's chambers without touching them, splashing water every which way, but somehow managing to stay dry. The person sitting behind the desk didn't flinch a bit though, and he calmly looked up at his furious caller.

"_Espio_!" Tails screeched, swooping into the room, letting the ice crystals hanging in the air fall to the ground. They evaporated quickly, going up in a puff of steam. "What is the meaning of this?"

The man was a magenta chameleon with a yellow horn sprouting from his head, amber eyes shining brightly in the candlelight. He was thin, but he held a commanding air, like nothing could get past those sharp eyes of his. His gloves were green, with a thick black stripe running from the tips of his index and middle fingers down to his wrists, showing his Guard status. A small star placed in the middle of his right palm announced his position of Captain.

"The meaning of what, Mage Tails?"

He spoke in a low voice, but with a warm tone. Tails and Espio were old friends, the chameleon basically raising the fox since he had been a tiny child.

"Princess Tikal assigned me a quest today, did you know?"

"Congratulations, Tails. This is a great hono-!"

"But, that is not the best part Captain! I am to be accompanied by a known criminal! One that _your soldiers_ declared reformed!"

"Calm, Tails. I assure you that anything that has passed this day is for the better of our country and our king. Tell me, which criminal is it you speak of?"

"Sonic!" The word was spat with venom, as if it were poison on his lips.

Espio clucked low in his throat. "I see." Easily, he stood and walked across the room. Reaching a small shelf, he bent down and grabbed a thin scroll. He walked back to his desk before unrolling it and taking a look. "It says here that Sonic the Hedgehog is a known Fire User and attempted murderer of Princess Tikal. He has spent two years in prison, and has shown signs of remorse and even loyalty to his princess. It was determined earlier this week that he should be released and given a second chance, because of his rare gift."

"Yes, yes," the eight year old replied, waving a hand. "I know all of that. I would like to know _why_ exactly he is so important that he must come with me on my mission! I was expecting a guard or two! Not a criminal!"

Espio seemed only to be half listening to Tails. He carefully moved a finger down the paper, moving his mouth as he read the words written there. "Hm. Interesting."

"What? What is it?"

"His Second Gift." Espio rumbled thoughtfully.

"He has a Second Gift? From what I've heard, he only has one."

"How do you suppose he got all the way up to the Princess's chambers without being seen, Tails? It wasn't by using his Elemental gift."

"Well, what _is_ his Second Gift? Is it Air based?"

A nod. "No one person that has seen it could testify in total faith that it actually _was _him, because they claimed that all they saw was a blue blur, but it says here that Sonic can run faster than the wind itself."

o0o

The next day found Tails pacing in this small room, thick stone tablet clutched in his hands. He was reading the weird symbols inscribed on the rock intently.

"Water Users are strong against Fire Users, but weak against Gaia Users. Chaos Wielders are stronger than the others, though they are weak without a Gaia User nearby…" He spoke to himself, attempting to memorize the table scratched into the stone. "Wind is the uncontrollable Element, though some Mages are given a Second Gift based in Wind – or Air, as some entitle it. The degree at which the Mage has mastered his Craft determines the power of the Second Gift."

He sighed, blowing his bangs out of his eyes and wiping a hand across his brow. He was to leave on his quest in three days, and he still didn't have the basics of his Craft memorized…

"When given a quest by a royal, the Mage receives a special pair of gloves to dictate the importance of his journey, as well as to allow him access to anything that would usually be barred from him. He is to wear these gloves proudly and keep them clean. If the gloves are dir-."

He was cut off when a loud knock jolted him from his thoughts, making him jump and almost drop the tablet. "Enter." He called shakily, holding a hand to his heart.

"Sir Miles?" A young apprentice a few years older than Tails opened the door and bowed lowly before speaking again. "The princess has requested that you meet with Sonic the Hedgehog and assess his abilities as a User, as well as his Second Gift."

The fox took a deep breath, steeling his nerves, before laying the tablet on his small bed and turning towards the door.

The boy led him down a few halls and down a set of stairs, into the dungeon of the castle. Most of the journey was a fog to the kit, his thoughts spinning with the facts he was still trying to memorize. Vaguely, he could hear his soft footfalls on the stone steps, but that was all he remembered as he moved further and further underground, his eyes slowly adjusting from sunlight to candlelight.

"We've arrived, Mage." The apprentice muttered, bowing low again before turning. He left Tails with two guards, standing in the middle of a huge stone room with the criminal in question tied to a chair in the center. He was fully conscious this time, his hands tied securely behind his back with what looked like thick metal shackles.

"Hello, young User," he greeted, his low voice sending chills up Tails' backbone.

One of the guards roughly cuffed the hedgehog across the skull, making his head snap forward and meet his chest. "Be silent. The Mage is here to see if your Craft is fully developed, not to hear you gab."

He didn't speak again, but his deep, green eyes sparked a bit as he gazed at Tails through narrow slits. The fox shivered a bit, and he calmly attributed that to the way the cold seemed to seep into his bones and not how the hedgehog's stare seemed to reach into his very soul.

"Mage," the younger of the guards started, walking up to Tails and placing a thick hand on his shoulder. "We understand that you are only eight years old but-" At this, Tails' eyes narrowed and he shrugged off the hand, feeling the air drop a few degrees as his power was fueled by his anger.

"I may only be _eight,_ like you so helpfully pointed out, but I am also one of the princess' elite. You would do well to remember that." With that, he stomped up to the hedgehog, taking notice of the calculating edge in his eyes. "I take it you think you're some important fool because you deserve so much attention from the princess and her guards. I'm here to tell you that this is not the case. You have shown signs of promise, and the court has deemed it necessary that you prove yourself by accompanying me into the Green Hill Forest, in search of something. You will be told more if you are found trustworthy."

"And if I'm not?" The hedgehog asked, voice a little sound in the large room.

"I know not of your outcome should you disappoint the princess." Tails suddenly spun around, namesakes whirling with him and barely missing the blue one. "Release him, guards. We can't very well test his abilities if his hands are bound!"

"But Sir Tai-"

"Must I remind you that I am here in response to a request from her Highness?"

"N-no, Mage Tails," the younger guard's voice was nervous, and he wasted no time rushing forward and sliding a key into the lock on the shackles.

Once the hedgehog was free, he stood easily, rubbing at his wrists. He opened his mouth, possibly to let out some sort of sarcastic comment, but Tails cut him off.

"Shoot me."

"_What_?" Sonic's voice was colored with disbelief. Shoot at a Royal Mage? Surely this was a trap to get him sent to an early hangman's noose…

"Do it. I am here to judge your ability in battle and your reaction times. Shoot me so that we may do battle."

At this, a sly grin overcame the hedgehog's face, and he leaned back easily on one foot. "You may be surprised, Young User, to find that my reaction times are more than they appear."

And, with that, he disappeared in a flash of blue.

o0o

"It is hard for me to say this," Tails reported hours later, standing in the middle of the Court, his fur looking a tad bit singed, "but the criminal is well-versed in his Craft, and his Second Gift is truly remarkable."

"It is true then?" Tikal asked, sitting just a smidgen higher. "He justly can run with the winds on his heels?"

The little fox nodded, clasping his hands in front of him. "Much faster, my princess. I believe I have only witnessed the beginnings of his power."

The echidna female nodded at this, leaning back a little. "Then he is acceptable, Tails? Were you able to control him?"

A golden head nodded slowly. "Once I took to the air and I could see his movements a bit better, I was able to douse him before he could light his fingertips. His strength seems to lie, not in his Craft, but in his speed. He relies more heavily on his Wind Gift than on Fire."

"Strange," the princess hummed, leaning her chin into her hand in thought. "Peculiar, but not unheard of, as I'm sure you know."

Tails colored at this, his tails wrapped around his face to help hide his embarrassment. "My tails are not a thing of Mages, milady." He answered respectfully, glaring down at said appendages. "When I was born, a Chaos Wielder predicted that I would only come to be evil."

"This I know, little one, but here you are, doing the bidding of my kingdom. Chaos Wielders aren't the best fortune tellers, as I'm sure you know." She winked, making Tails smile. "Moreover, _I_ believe that your tails are a Gift of the Wind. They allow you to fly, do they not?"

"Yes, milady, but are they not the same as a bird's wings in that aspect then?"

"Nay, I think not. You were born a land based creature, yet you soar above the rest of us. The gods have blessed you, young one. I suggest you embrace that. Your brain is large; I'm sure you can."

"Yes ma'am," his voice was low and small, and he slowly bowed before backing away. "If that is all, then I must continue my studying before I leave in two days."

"Halt, my mage," the princess' voice was strong and loud compare to the fox's, and he froze in his tracks. "Do you believe that I called you before me for just a report?" Silence followed her pronouncement, and she continued hastily, clapping her hands three times and motioning towards the back of the room. "There is another reason for your being summoned. Your quest gloves were completed earlier this day and it was decided that you would receive them early, so you may get accustomed to them."

Tails was struck speechless, and he watched, agape, as a guard marched in holding a very ornate box adorned with various symbols. Flames licked up the side, water swirled across the top, green leaves snacking around amongst the blue and red, and small different colored stones mixed in. The whole thing looked well-used and faded, but even the test of time couldn't take away from the significance of such a chest. It held his quest gloves, sized and designed specifically for him.

"I'm honored," the little fox breathed, falling to his knees as the guard passed him and respectfully held the chest up to the princess. She opened it gingerly, easing the small pieces of fabric out carefully, fingering the silky material. She motioned him closer with her head and he tiptoed towards the throne, making sure to keep his head lower than hers.

"I have to say, these are the smallest quest gloves I've ever given out. You have large shoes to fill, young one, but I'm sure you will do legendary things." She placed the gloves into her lap before reaching for his hands and easily pulling his white gloves off. Then, she slipped the newer pair onto his hands, making sure to snap the small clasp under the wrist. Tikal stared down at his small hands for a second longer before patting them and letting them go.

In awe, Tails stared down at his hands, memorizing the pattern and design of his new apparel. They were covered in waves, rising high like they did in the Emerald Sea and scooping down low to kiss his wrist. On each finger, there were two rows of waves, each a different shade of blue. At the base of each finger, a spray of water was kicked up, going in two different directions, a strange white-blue color tinge in the spray. The surge reached all the way down to his knuckles before transforming back into ocean waves, alternating colors once more. A flip of the hand showed that the wave pattern continued around, cutting off at the flat part of his hand, where the glove was missing so he could practice his Craft. The tips of the fingers were also missing, allowing him freer movement and more control.

"Thank you," the eight-year-old breathed, clenching his hands into fists to test the flexibility of the fabric.

"Of course, my Mage. You are only getting what is entitled to you. Now, go rest. You are to leave in the morning."

"The morning, Lady Tikal?" The kit's eyes were wide, staring at the princess in shock. "But the royal guard informed me that you instructed I leave two days from now!"

"The human armies have moved further into our land, and we don't have two days to spare. I trust that you will be ready at dawn."

"Yes, milady." There was no questioning the princess once she made a decision, and he bowed once before backing out of the room. When he hit the long corridor outside the throne room, he bolted, taking to the air to avoid people and rushing into his room.

o0o

"Mage Tails?" The same apprentice from before knocked roughly on his door, sticking his head it without permission. "The Princess wishes that you visit with Sonic the Hedgehog while he gets his gloves and his instructions.

Tails sighed, placing the scroll currently resting on his lap onto the bed and scrambling onto the floor. He quickly followed after the other boy. They moved at a brisk pace, and it seemed like seconds later when Tails was standing back in the dungeon.

Sonic was sitting in the same chair as before, unshackled this time, with the princess and five guards before him. The girl held the same box that Tails had received his gloves from, and the fox couldn't help but stare at it. It seemed to have lost its luster now that it was held in front of the criminal.

"Come closer, young one." The princess called softly, opening the box. Slowly, Tails toed his way toward the girl, careful to keep his eyes on the unrestrained hands of the hedgehog. "I gift thee, Sonic the Hedgehog, with these gloves. They dictate your position in serving under me and your king, and you shall wear them with pride. Do not let them soil with dirt for tha-."

"Yes, yes," the blue one interrupted, holding his hand out. "I know how it works. Give me the gloves so you can go back to your important life and I may get some sleep. It is my understanding that the young User and I are to leave tomorrow."

Tikal stared at him in shock, her mouth dropping open. "Y-yes," she recovered, deciding against reprimanding him for breaking social protocol. "But, I must make it understood to you that if you harm my Mage, whether through accident or purpose, you will forever be banished, and hung if found."

The hedgehog rolled his eyes, and one of the guards standing around Tikal tensed. "I do not hurt children." His answer was short and to the point, accompanied with a tone that seemed to finish the conversation.

The meeting was over thirty seconds later, with the blue hedgehog putting his new gloves away and the princess and Tails walking away, stunned.

o0o

They left at dawn, escaping quickly into the semi-darkness. They ran at a sedate pace, fast enough to pass for a hurry, but slow enough to conserve energy.

Tails couldn't help feeling like he was running towards his doom. The criminal next to him was staring forward, looking completely rested despite only getting three hours of sleep last night. Suddenly, he seemed to sense that Tails was looking at him, and he snapped his head to the side. A small smile graced his face, and Tails felt a great feeling of peace and safety overcome him without his permission. "Calm, young one. You and I are on a mission, and I do not hurt those that are on my side."

_How do you know I am on your side_? The fox couldn't help thinking to himself, turning his head to look forward once more. _And how can I be sure that you are on mine_?

o0o

Tikal watched them until their forms faded into the trees of the distant forest, standing in the dim light of her window, hand on the sill. Her spines were loose, like she had just climbed out of bed, and there was a sweet smile on her face, as if she was completely at peace.

Suddenly, a dark hand snaked its way onto her shoulder, pulling her roughly back into the room. She didn't make a sound, though she did flip around violently, ready to attack whoever had their hands on her.

"Princess!" Another identical hand was slapped over her face, stilling the scream working its way up her throat. "It's me!"

The girl's eyes widened and she glared at her attacker, placing her unrestrained hands on her hips. Roughly, she said something into the hand covering her mouth, the muffled speech sounding very much like a death threat.

The other quickly reeled back, letting her go and sputtering out apologies.

"_Shadow_!" She hissed, glaring with harsh eyes, anger coloring her form. "What are you doing here? You know how dangerous it is!"

The other figure, now revealed to be a dark colored hedgehog, held up his hands, showing off the black gloves of an outcast. "I'm sorry, my queen." He bowed lowly, his black and red quills catching in the candlelight. "But I had to see the individuals who you were sending off today." He nodded towards the window, moving away at the same time. "Those were the ones that threaten you so?"

Tikal's eyes widened again and she rushed forward, placing her hands over the other's mouth in an attempt to shush him. "Hush, Shadow! There are ears everywhere!" She paused, finally catching what he had said. "And I'm not the queen. Not yet."

The dark hedgehog ignored the last part of her statement, easing himself back into the conversation. "Do you believe that they will be able to succeed in getting what you want?"

"Oh, I know that they will fail, my faithful subject. That is what I'm counting on." She easily ran a hand along his cheekbone and down to his chest, resting it over his heart. "The Chaos Mages have predicted that the fox will unwind my fate. I can't have a child, no matter how powerful, taking from me what is rightfully mine. The criminal's heart is strong, and the Mage is still naïve, he trusts too easily. I do not doubt that the hedgehog will influence the young one into doing something he believes is right. Then, the child will be a criminal, and my guard will have no choice but to give him the proper punishment."

Shadow nodded, grabbing the hand resting on his chest. Easily, he raised it to his lips, kissing it lightly. "But, if they _do_ reach Knuckles, what then?"

The princess snatched her hand back, chuckling lightly. "Knuckles it but a myth, along with those blasted Emeralds." She turned then, walking back towards her bed. "Now, get out of here. You are still an outcast in my father's eyes, and if you are caught in my chambers you _will_ be killed." She waved her hand towards the window in a rushing motion. "Follow the criminal and young one. Make sure they don't make it to the other side of the forest." She smiled evilly then, climbing back underneath the covers. "The Water User has yet to come across a Chaos Wielder. Why don't you show him what you are capable of?"

"Yes, my qu- princess." Shadow bowed again before standing and snapping his fingers. In a flash of light, a bright green ball of energy flared at his fingertips, lighting the room with an ominous glow. "I will make sure that the young one never wonders about the power of Chaos."

_End Part 1_

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><p><em>Review please?<br>_


	2. Part II

_**Unstoppable Inferno, Uncontrollable Flood**_

_A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction_

_Part 2 _

_Pairing(s): Silver and Blaze is a pairing I very much support, and it's sorta kinda canon, so it will be making an appearance in this story. Now, there will be __**NO OTHER PAIRINGS**__. Especially not Sonadow. No. Stop asking. Not gonna happen. _

_Warnings: __**STRONG AU**__ – Jump from cannon. Fantasy story. OOC Characters and a few forgotten characters making an appearance._

_**NOTES:**_

_Yes, I am – in fact – alive and well. You can stop celebrating; I know you all missed me. I just got my wisdom teeth taken out, so that's my excuse for the lateness of this chapter. I promise that I'll try to update more often than once a month. Maybe. Don't hold me to that. The format for this chapter is a little choppy at best, so if you get confused, do inform me so I can try to fix it. Other than that, if any of the prose or anything else looks a little wacked… let's just pass that off to the fact that I was writing while doped up on painkillers. I'll probably go back and fix stuff once I'm more coherent. Now, __**THE FOLLOWING NOTES ARE VERY IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ THEM! **_

_Okay, this chapter introduces a few more characters and their places in my little society here. Please let it be known that I'm warping a few personalities – like Tikal's – and someone you thought was a villain might actually be good in this, or vice-versa. You have been warned. __**IMPORTANT**__: The planet I have made up for this story is different from the Mobius/Earth of the game-verse (which is the universe this is based in). I have basically cut it in half; two kingdoms control the bulk of the planet. The Mobians – Echidna Monarchy – have the half called Mobius while the humans control the half called Earth. The humans and Mobians are not friends. They are fighting. That being said, there are micro-nations inside of Mobius, allowed to rule their own land because the kingdom is too large. Because of this split, I was hard-pressed to find a name for the planet, so I just went with Planet Freedom. Not important, but I felt it needed a name. __**ALSO IMPORTANT**__: Because of the diversity of the planet I have created, I have to pull some of the characters from the Archie comics and Sonic Underground into the mix. I very much don't like Archie. Despise it in fact, but I _need_ those characters for this story to work. So, don't be surprised if their personalities have been changed dramatically. They are merely plot devices. _

_Other than that, please enjoy!_

* * *

><p><em>Begin Part 2<em>

The day was merely beginning, the second moon just beginning its descent towards the horizon; the first was already missing, visiting other parts of the planet. The morning was quiet, the flickies not even awake yet, and the night dwelling animals just settling into their hiding places.

A lone, robed figure sat at a crude table, hands clasped on the flimsy wood, the only light in the room coming in through a slit in a thick curtained window. The sharp cheekbones signified a male and his raised quills alerted to his species. He was still young, no older than sixteen, yet wisdom seemed to seep from his body in waves. His eyes were closed in concentration, quills on his head wilted slightly out of exhaustion. His fur was a few shades short of white, hinting more at a silver color if the light hit him the right way. Strange markings decorated his bare hands, a blue circle connected to a straight line that ran down his hand and disappeared into his robe. The symbols were glowing slightly, as if helping their owner concentrate.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, the iris's glowing a thick amber color. "Blaze," he mumbled, reaching over to flick the ear of a sleepy figure, startling her from where she had been previously asleep on a rather expensive mattress. "Sonic's in trouble."

"Silver?" The other was still half asleep, and she rubbed at her eyes with gloved palms. Her bare fingertips massaged into her temples seconds later, seeming to push her purple fur into her skull. "What are you doing here? My father will have you hung if he catches yo-!"

"That's not important." The hedgehog cut her off, sweeping away from the table and cutting across the room. He threw open an expensive looking armoire, grabbing a random piece of clothing out and throwing it across the room at the still sleepy cat. "Get dressed. Something's changed – something we didn't see before. You need to find Sonic and help him get to Knuckles." He watched her stand uncertainly, fingering the ornate robe he had tossed at her. "I need to go see Mephiles, find out if he can decipher what's changed."

"Are you sure it's not another User or a Mage? You know it's hard to see them because of the fog the Chaos Energies create." Blaze's temper was short because she had only had six hours of sleep in the past week. The reasons for this were numerous, but most of them had to do with overbearing parents and possible male suitors calling on her so they could court her. "Maybe he passed a random Untapped Gaia User kid in a town. You're not exactly the best Seer, oh great Chaos Mage."

"No," Silver shook his head, grabbing his companion's hand, "this is different. The fog was green, not brown, blue, or red. A Chaos Mage has interfered, a _powerful_ Mage. I don't know what exactly he's planning, but it's something that will surely kill Sonic. You _need_ to go."

Blaze yanked her hand away from the hedgehog, turning to the window and throwing open the curtains. The moonlight tossed strange shadows around the room, making Silver's bizarre markings seem dull. "And what would you have me do?" She huffed to herself, crossing her arms. "I'm not exactly unknown. What will happen when news of the duke's daughter traipsing off towards Green Hill and Never Lake reaches my father? I will be a disgrace, never allowed in the princess' court again. My father's name and title will be taken from him!"

"Blaze," Silver followed her, placing his hands on her shoulders and spinning her around. "What else _can_ you do? If you remain here any longer, your fifteenth birthday will come and you will be forced to choose a suitor. I know you, you don't like being rushed and you certainly can't stand the pompous weasels from across the river. Sonic _needs_ you. He will die if you do not go. Besides, being the rich wife of a noble doesn't suit you. You've always preferred the roughish, good looking, loner types."

The cat sighed, leaning in towards Silver so their faces were only inches apart. "Kind of like you?" Silver's eyes widened as her hand came to rest on his chest. "Though, I wouldn't use the word roughish to describe you." Her voice was whimsical, as if describing the newest drama instead of discussing personality quirks. "You're more… eh… _refined_ than you give yourself credit for. I'd call you a pansy before I'd call you a boor-headed male." The hedgehog was sent stumbling backward as Blaze pushed lightly off his chest, effectively placing a yard between them. "You're right about Sonic though, of course. He needs my help. The Water User doesn't know what he's gotten himself into, so Sonic will be the only one prepared. He cannot protect the young one and himself."

Silver was still puzzling over whether Blaze's comment about his personality was a compliment or not and didn't have a response. Blaze blew out a breath before rushing past him and digging into her wardrobe, pulling out more suitable traveling clothes. "Now, get out of here." She commanded, nodding towards the window. "I have to change. I'll meet you in town square in half an hour."

"But…" Silver was still lost, confused as to when the conversation had left his control. "So, you're going?"

"Silver…" The cat grabbed his hand, yanking him toward the window sill. "You need to go if I have hope of getting out of here before daylight. I can make it to the middle of town by myself." Quickly, she leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek before pushing open the window and shoving him through.

o0o

A few towns away, two figures were moving swiftly across the land, one taller with a sharp outline, and the other short and soft. Both had very distinguishable markings, blue fur on one and double tails belonging to the other, yet no one stopped them, for one look at their decorated gloves told them all they needed to know.

They ran until darkness fell again, quickly dashing through numerous villages of varying sizes and stepping lightly through fields of crops, careful not to squash the valuable plants. A few hours later, they left civilization and ran into the silence of the forest, speeding along a path surrounded on both sides by trees. In this amount of time, Tails slowly fell behind, unable to sustain the stable pace the hedgehog established after fifteen minutes of steady running. The fox struggled to keep up, pumping his arms more harshly than he thought possible, and pulling air into his lungs roughly, panting so loudly he was convinced Sonic could hear it from where he was a few yards away.

The blue one didn't slow though, just kept his emerald eyes ahead and continued moving swiftly. Tails could tell from the way his shoulders were hunched and his backbone straight that the hedgehog was uncomfortable running this slow, but he was forced to allow the young fox to keep up. With every step, Tails could feel his strength waning, and he yearned for the skies more and more. But, he knew that flying was not an option, because it would give them both away too easily. Of course, as a blue hedgehog and a golden, double tailed fox, they were conspicuous enough, but he didn't want to make it _too_ obvious who they were.

With a sigh, the fox finally just gave up and started slowing, falling from a sprint to a trot in seconds. Ahead of him, Sonic slowed as well, as if sensing the kit's exhaustion.

"I suppose we should stop," Sonic mumbled, jogging a few feet into the forest fringing the edges of the path before dropping down into the leaves. "You look tired."

"And you don't." Tails panted, easing himself down slowly. His bones were aching and his muscles throbbing; he had to struggle to keep the grimace off his face.

"I've trained most of my early life to run at a steady pace. Stamina is important to a runner." The hedgehog smoothly rose again, walking away a few paces before continuing. "I'm going to go gather firewood. You stay here and rest. We have to move again in a few hours if we want to reach our destination in a timely manner."

"Wait!" The fox called, his eyes widening. "How can I be sure that you won't run off?"

"You can't." Blunt and to the point, the blue one continued forward without pausing, disappearing into the trees.

o0o

Tails dozed off.

When he woke again, the forest around him was illuminated by an orange flickering light. Strange shadows greeted him, making the trees look more sinister than they should have and the blue hedgehog's fur look a dark pitch of black from where he was sitting on the other side of a small fire. His sharp eyes were staring deep into the blaze, reflecting the flames. His expression was ominous and Tails sat up slowly, hoping not to startle him.

"You've been asleep for about two hours." The fox jumped at the soft voice, his fur going ridged. Sonic hadn't looked away from his staring match with the conflagration, but there was no doubt that he had spoken.

"Why didn't you wake me?" The fox was losing the battle to slow his heart, and he raised a gloved hand to his chest.

The hedgehog shrugged, not blinking. "You looked peaceful."

This annoyed the fox for some reason, and he huffed, crossing his arms. "Well, I'm awake now. You can get some rest."

The hedgehog shook his head, not moving his eyes away from the flames. "I only require four hours of sleep for two days."

This baffled the fox and his expression went sour. Instead of asking however, he moved onto a different topic. "What exactly are you staring at?"

The hedgehog looked up. "The fire." His tone was obvious, as if he was answering a dumb question, which, he sort of was. "As a Fire User, I can gain information from it about my surroundings."

"Really?" Despite himself, Tails was interested.

"Yes," the hedgehog nodded, slowly extending his bare fingertips towards the flames. They licked eagerly at the tan skin, wrapping around the digits and sticking to the skin. When he pulled his hand away, a small flame flared, hanging off his finger, not hurting him at all. "For example, there is a bird in the tree right above me and a squirrel two trees over."

Tails couldn't help himself; he had to look. With slight trepidation, he craned his neck to see up the tree Sonic was resting against, eyes widening as a dark shape that could only be a bird appeared. A look to the left revealed the same result, but with a squirrel-looking blob instead.

"Also, your heart is still beating very quickly, and the Chaos Energies in your body are uneven." Bringing his flaming finger close to his face, the hedgehog pursed his lips and blew lightly, extinguishing the light. "That is why you have had trouble sleeping lately."

Tails was blindsided, and he felt his heart drop. "Chaos Energies?" He croaked, forcing the words out of his suddenly dry throat.

"Yes, every element is connected to the Energies; every Mage and User has to have a large amount of them to manipulate their element. You just have to know how to use your abilities to see them. I can see the flow without the help of Fire, but it is very tiresome. It's easier to look into the flame."

The tone used was one of clipped finality and Tails was hard-pressed to find a suitable response to such a statement in any case. With a sigh, he flipped the conversation to another topic that was bothering him. "I'm surprised you didn't run off." He muttered, not intending for the hedgehog to hear. "You could have taken your freedom and left me to find Knuckles by myself."

The look Sonic shot him sent ice up the fox's backbone. "I realize that I was imprisoned for two years, but are you so blinded by impressions that you do not realize that I have a sense of honor? I do not harm children or those on my side, and I don't leave in the middle of an obligation or deal. I promised the princess I would help you; I will not be leaving." His serious expression dropped after this pronouncement and a lopsided smile fought its way onto his face. "Besides, if I wanted to leave, I could have while we were running. There's no way you would have caught me."

The fox was silent after this statement, his brow furrowed.

Silence reigned, thickening with every minute that passed. Soon enough, the kit started to fidget and squirm, trying to cut through his uneasiness.

Sonic spoke after what seemed like hours to the fox. "I suppose we should keep moving." He stood swiftly, waiting until Tails caught the hint and stood as well. "Do you mind?" He waved a hand toward the still blazing fire. Tails caught the insinuation quickly and held his palm toward the flames, sending a small jet of water to extinguish the glow. It went out with a hiss and the little one sprayed a bit more water toward the hot ground before kicking some dirt onto the red embers.

"I know you have grown up in a castle, Mage, but can you find the strength to run again?" With a grace that only a seasoned runner could possess, the hedgehog stretched out his left leg, leaning over so his right arm was grabbing his toe and stretching out his calf muscles.

Tails answered harshly, catching the drift that he was being insulted. "I will have you know that I have only been in the castle for two years. I fended for myself before then, and I can do it again." He paused, watching the hedgehog switch legs. "I can fly, but that will be too obvious. We won't get anywhere if I'm in the air."

Sonic paused in his stretching, leaning back on his left heel and resting his hands on his knees. "Isn't there some type of middle ground you can find? Can you angle your tails so they're pointing behind you instead of up?"

Tails pondered this for a bit, shocked at the thoughtfulness of the hedgehog. He must have been thinking about this for a while for him to suggest it so quickly. "I suppose, though it will take me some time to perfect."

"We don't have time, kid." Sonic answered bluntly, standing fully again. "The princess expects us back by the end of the week with Knuckles in tow. We won't even _reach_ the middle of the forest in that time if we keep going at the speed we're going."

Tails sighed, rubbing his forehead. Things weren't going to get any easier, he told himself, watching as the hedgehog turned and bolted back onto the path. The further they got into the forest, the more he would have to rely on Sonic to help keep them both alive. They would both have to adapt to the other, and, no matter how much he hated it, he was the one who was going to have to do more of the molding, because the blue one was older and more in tune with his Craft.

Shaking his head, the fox started after the hedgehog at a sprint, attempting to gain speed. When he figured he was fast enough, he spun his tails out behind him, attempting to get them to rotate. After a few seconds of struggling, they finally started to listen and he could feel his speed pick up. With slight anxiety, he lifted his feet, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he was hovering a few inches off the ground.

Suddenly, without warning, he shot forward. A scream ripped its way out of his throat and a wall of air slammed into him, blinding him and sending his mind spinning.

Eventually, his brain caught up from where it had been left behind on the path, and he only had a few seconds for his eyes to register that there was a blue form in front of him, and he was gaining on it, _fast_.

"Sonic! Sonic, _watch out_!" He managed to yell at the hedgehog, but the message got to him too late, and Tails slammed right into the blue one's back.

Pain exploded along his right arm, but Tails didn't have time to comprehend it, because both he and his traveling companion were rolling head-over-heels down a hill that neither knew was there. Sonic was grunting something in a strange language, but Tails didn't have time to contemplate that either, because suddenly there wasn't ground under them and they were plummeting down.

Tails found the strength to scream, while Sonic curled around the fox, rotating slowly in a circle so their impact would be a little smoother. However, their landing was anything but smooth, because the next thing either of them knew, water was surrounding them.

Suddenly, chaos. Sonic kicked the little fox away from him, scrambling around in the water, trying to find purchase on anything. However, his feet couldn't catch traction and he started to sink to the bottom. His arms flailed around him, useless, and his mouth opened to scream. This just caused more water to rush into his mouth and collect in his lungs, effectively making him sink faster.

A small hand wrapped around one of his thrashing arms, and Sonic's eyes snapped open to see a blurry golden form above him. Without warning, a current of water pushed him towards the surface, roughly catapulting him into the air and onto the bank with a loud splash. The landing knocked whatever air he had left out of his lungs, but also upset the water, and he barely had time to bend over before it was ejected from his body.

The same little hand from before rubbed circles into his back as his body attempted to release all of the water that it had gathered, short, soothing phrases mumbled out of the kit's mouth.

Once all the water was effectively eliminated from his system, Sonic felt his brain shutting down. He tried to fight it, he really did, but the next thing he knew, his whole world had gone dark.

o0o

Blaze sighed, wiping the back of her right hand along her forehead. Her face twisted into a scowl as she sighted the sweat staining the expensive fabric of her glove and she mumbled a few choice words under her breath. Sour expression firmly in place, she reached back and flipped the hood of her cloak over her head so her face was hidden from the inquisitive eyes of the townspeople still out and about in the light of the full moon.

She had been traveling all day on a minimal amount of sleep, and her body was starting to show signs of neglect. Her legs felt like jelly as she walked and her vision was starting to swim in the darkening lighting, a sure sign that she was close to collapsing. Currently, she was making her way through the town of Sunset, its cheerful name hiding the true nature of the people. Each person looked at her with contempt, as if they could sense that she came from money and nobility. She struggled to keep from making eye contact, the training pressed into her since her younger years making her want to size up every person with a good glance.

She had traded her fingerless gloves – the ones that set her off as a Fire User – for a pair of regular white. This had been a mistake, she realized now, staring at the dark brown shade covering the everyday citizens and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her cloak.

Well, technically, it was Silver's cloak, but after seeing the purple robe and white fencing pants she had donned after his impromptu trip out of the window, he had scoffed low in his throat, mumbling under his breath ("Are you planning on making it out of the village without being spotted, or will being chased by the guards just add to the fun?"). The comment had, of course, set her off, and by the time the following scuffle was over, Silver had a few singed quills to speak for his troubles. He had simply handed over his cloak afterward, saying that it was a gift to keep her safe. She had seen through the rouse, knowing that he couldn't stand her expensive looking clothing, but he knew better than to say anything.

So, after being pointed in the right direction and receiving a long hug from Silver, she had set off, attempting to figure out where exactly Sonic had gotten himself to.

_I'm starting to wish that he had kept himself in jail. At least then we knew where he was_. She thought to herself, ignoring a look she got from a nearby couple. It was getting late, so she kept her eyes peeled for an inn or any type of building for weary travelers. Though, from the state of the town, she wasn't very hopeful.

About half an hour later, she had circled the whole town twice, and had only come up with a shady looking bar and a general store, neither suitable for any of her needs, sleeping or otherwise, and she resigned herself to just leaving behind this dreary place and camping in the nearby forest.

Her plans came to a halt, however, when the doors to the bar burst open and the sound of a fight escaped into the night air. Blaze whipped her head around, her eyes widening as the two fighters were thrown out of the building by the force of the swelling crowd inside the doors. The two men didn't seem fazed as they hit the dirt, and one – a dog by the looks of it – just continued to pound in the other's face.

"Hey! Hey now boys!" The cat's ears pricked as she head a distinctly female voice come from inside the bar, and her eyes widened as the owner of said voice shouldered her way through the mob of jeering men. "Break it up! Don't make me call the constable!" The woman was a very pale bat, her head a stark white color while her arms and chest were a peach color. Her low cut dress left nothing to the imagination, and Blaze couldn't help the scoff of disapproval that rose in her throat.

"Oh, come off it, Rouge!" One of the men at the door, a fox, yelled as the woman made her way past him, reaching down and grabbing her shoulder. "Let 'em have some fun!"

Rouge's eyes zeroed in on the man's face before they snapped down to the hand that touched her. "Unhand me, Skye." Her voice was commanding and Blaze felt a shiver go up her spine, immediately realizing that this woman was not one to be played with.

"Why should I, sweetie?" The man sneered at her, squeezing tighter on her shoulder. "Rumor has it that you liked being touched by men-!" He was cut off as the bat grabbed his hand and used it as a leverage point to flip him onto his back. He gasped as the air went out of his lungs and she threw his hand down, where it fell onto his chest, like it was diseased. Easily, she stepped through the rest of the crowd, stomping up to the fighting pair.

Without breaking stride, she threw out her hands, and a thick stream of water came from nowhere, soaking the fighters to the bone and halting the fight in its tracks. The dog sat, agape, on top of the other's waist, his fist poised to thrown another punch. The one on the ground wasn't as frozen as his combatant, and he easily slid out from under the other, crawling along the ground to get away from his attacker. The dog took notice of this however, and he snapped out of his stupor. He got to his feet quicker than the other and took two strides before he was on top of him again, shoving his fist into the other's backbone.

Rouge sighed, throwing up her hands. "Nobody can say I didn't try." She grumbled to herself as she followed after the pair, attempting to get them to stop fighting – though, to Blaze, it seemed like the dog was just beating up his opponent, the other never raising his fist once – since the water hadn't seemed to do anything but make the dirt into mud. She yelled all kinds of obscenities but nothing seemed to faze them.

Before she knew what she was doing, Blaze had her gloves off of her hands and her cloak thrown off. She marched her way forward, slamming the heel of her boot into the dog's head, sending him reeling. He was blindsided by her hit, and he went down hard with a groan. With a glare, she snapped her fingers and a fireball manifested itself in her palm, lighting up her face just the right way.

"I'm not sure you heard her." She growled, trying to sound intimidating. "But, she told you to knock it off."

The dog stared at her like she was a demon before scrambling to his feet and turning tail, bolting off into the forest. With a flourish, Blaze turned her body toward the bar, glaring at the other males. With a jerk of her head in the direction of the retreating dog, she sent the rest of them following, scared out of their wits. Just for the fun of it, the cat sent a few fireballs after them, singeing quite a few rear ends in the process.

"Are you alright, honey?" Blaze turned just in time to see the bat bend down and help the bloodied attackee to his feet. He was a green hedgehog with quills that stood up almost like Silver's, except these were separated and they dropped a little in front of his face. His nose was bleeding, but, surprisingly, didn't look broken. One of his eyes was already blackening, and Blaze was certain that his tan face would be blue come morning.

"I am fine Rouge." His voice was gravelly, yet somehow on the smooth side, like a rounded rock instead of a sharp one. and it sounded like it came from deep in his throat. "Just a little banged up 'sall." He spoke with an accent that Blaze had never heard before. "Thank you for getting him off of me."

"Oh, that wasn't me," Rouge corrected, finally turning to face Blaze. "It was her."

The hedgehog turned his head toward Blaze, dark eyes meeting amber. He bowed lowly at the waist – a feat the Blaze was sure couldn't have been very comfortable, if the wince the crossed his face was anything to go by. "Well, then you have my greatest thanks, Lady…" He trailed off, prompting her to tell him her name.

"Blaze. Lady Blaze."

"What a pretty name for a pretty lady." His eyes sparked as he limped his way toward her. Gingerly, he took her ungloved hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it lightly. "I am Manic Hedgehog, prince of the Harinezumi nation, and I am in your debt."

o0o

When Sonic came to, it seemed like his whole world was bathed in black and white, think in darkness, but bright all the same. He quickly blinked a few times, trying to get the world to come back into full color, but nothing happened and he couldn't help by huff to himself, sending his vision spinning as his brain decided that it was too soon for any sudden breaths.

"I wouldn't, if I were you." He heard a small voice, muffled as if he were underwater, but still high pitched all the same. "You swallowed at least three cups of water and sent it all back up seconds later. Your body needs time to recuperate."

The hedgehog didn't have the strength or the words to reply, and he simply closed his eyes, sinking back into unconsciousness.

o0o

The next time Sonic became aware of his surroundings, it was when the sun was high in the sky and his fur was completely dry. The sharp brightness of the sun seared an after-image into his eyes, even with them closed and he struggled to raise an arm to cover his face. He succeeded after a time, and was satisfied with a blissful darkness bathing his sensitive irises and allowing him to relax once more. With a sigh, he attempted to turn over and get into a more comfortable position, but this just rewarded him with a sharp pain in his side.

"Don't move. How many more times am I going to have to tell you?" The same voice from before, young and high pitched, spoke quietly, and a wet cloth moved across his eyes.

"_T-Tails?_" Sonic shocked himself with his own voice, and his body jumped without his consent. "Wh-what happened?" Slowly, the hedgehog eased his eyes open and was awarded with a view of two shining, blue pools of light looking down at him.

"I was being a fool." The mouth attached to the twin blue orbs spoke, twisting into an unsavory frown. "I tried your suggestion and lost control. I ran into you and we both went over the edge of a cliff and into a river. I managed to get us both out, but you swallowed quite a bit of water. You've been unconscious for the whole night and part of the morning."

Sonic didn't reply after that, instead opting to try to sit up. Once the fox was sure that the hedgehog was fully aware this time around – there had been a spell of faux-wakefulness in which the hedgehog had tried to get up and climb a tree – he hovered uncertainty, using his left hand to hold onto the blue one's shoulder.

Once he was completely seated, Sonic's eyes swept around uneasily, about his surroundings, taking in every tree and blade of grass, categorizing threats in his mind. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

Twin fox ears _thwaped_ against a gold skull as their owner shook his head. "No, I dragged you as far from the water as soon as I could, because the river was in a large clearing, and into the trees. I have no idea how far I came in or how far we drifted in the water."

The Fire User sighed, his head falling to meet his chest. "Well," he began after a few minutes of silence, "at least tell me that you managed to gather food of some kind…" The silence that followed the hedgehog's words spoke more than any denial could, and he forced a sigh through clenched teeth. "Kid, are you really that helpless…?" This was meant to be mumbled, but from the way the fox's expression fell, his large ears had picked it up just the same.

"Well, I'm _sorry_." His voice was harsh, yet still innocent sounding, and Sonic could tell that the fox was struggling not to cry. "I was too busy trying to keep you alive to worry about food or finding out where we were!"

Sonic resisted the urge to roll his eyes, wondering how in Chaos' name he had ended up on a quest with a child. "It's fine, young User. I should know better than to expect something like that of someone so young."

"I'm _not_ young!" Suddenly, the kit was on his feet, his tails straight out in anxiety and his fur on end. "I am eight years old and a User in service to his majesty King Locke and his daughter, Princess Tikal! _You_ are a criminal and have no place to speak to me that way!"

"Oh yeah, kid?" Sonic's water-logged state kept him from standing and towering over his companion, but his glare seemed to make the fox shrink considerably. "Then tell me, besides now, when have you been out of that precious palace that you live in? What hardships have you encountered? Not having someone to play with? Too much homework from your tutor? You know _nothing_, young one. You're a kid."

Tails looked abashed at the hedgehog's words, but he didn't back down. "I lived on my own until the age of six! You have no idea what I've gone through!"

"Oh, I'm sure!" Sonic threw his hands up, rolling his eyes. "You were '_alone'_. I highly doubt that. Someone took care of you, and probably got tired of you, so they dropped you at the palace!"

The fox didn't have a response to that, because he really couldn't remember his time before he arrived at the fortress. He had attempted many times to reach into the depths of his memory, but had come up with nothing. It was as if he hadn't existed before he came to live in the castle.

Of course, he didn't say this to Sonic; instead he just stared at the blue one with equally blue eyes, attempting to figure out where this cold person had come from. Sonic had not come off to him as a particularly mean person, but, he supposed, looks can be deceiving.

Instead of allowing the hedgehog the satisfaction of a silent glare, he opened his mouth to reply harshly, but was cut off by a loud scream. It penetrated deep into his ears, making his head ache almost immediately. The scream echoed off the trees, making it almost impossible for Tails to tell where it had come from, but he _could_ decipher that it was female.

Sonic's head had snapped up at the yell and he now sat with his eyes closed, deep in concentration. The piercing sound came again seconds later, and the hedgehog was off like a shot, plowing through the underbrush and disappearing from view in milliseconds.

The fox simply sighed before getting up and running after the speedster, following the gaping holes in the bushes towards the damsel in distress.

_End Part 2_

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, just ignore how I totally failed to make the speech patterns fit the time period, okay? I wasn't paying attention and it's so hard to write Sonic speaking formally… D:<em>

_Besides all the glaring problems and plot holes I'll have to address later, what did you think?_

_Review please?_


	3. Part III

_Unstoppable Inferno, Uncontrollable Flood_

_A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction_

_Part 3_

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Oh my… This has been a long time in coming, let me tell you. I've finally figured out where I want to go with this story, after a long struggle. I was spurred on to keep writing on it because of the flood of interest I've seen to have gotten recently. Is someone promoting this story somewhere, or something? :D Well, whatever the reason, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It kinda skips around quite a bit, because I have multiple plot lines to set up, so I hope it's not _too_ confusing… Some of the characters may seem out of character because I had to rework their personalities for one reason or another (Blaze, namely) and I hope it's not too distracting. Hopefully I answered some of your questions, but I've more than likely created new ones. We'll see how things go. New characters introduced again. Yay!

All the formality in the speech patterns has left the building. I just… _can't_ do that anymore, because I am American, and we have no idea what formality is. Or something. (Stereotyping!) Just… trying to imagine it in a formal voice or something.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>Instead of allowing the hedgehog the satisfaction of a silent glare, he opened his mouth to reply harshly, but was cut off by a loud scream. It penetrated deep into his ears, making his head ache almost immediately. The scream echoed off the trees, making it almost impossible for Tails to tell where it had come from, but he <em>could_ decipher that it was female._

_Sonic's head had snapped up at the yell and he now sat with his eyes closed, deep in concentration. The piercing sound came again seconds later, and the hedgehog was off like a shot, plowing through the underbrush and disappearing from view in milliseconds._

_The fox simply sighed before getting up and running after the speedster, following the gaping holes in the bushes towards the damsel in distress._

o0o

To say Tails took his time to reach the trouble would be a little callous and totally out of character for him, but it would also be partly true. His motivation for picking his way through the bushes and not slamming headfirst into trouble was simple: he wanted to see what Sonic the Hedgehog was capable of.

He was curious; he had not really gotten a good feel for the hedgehog's abilities back at the palace. He could tell, even then, that the blue Fire User was playing with him, toying with his own abilities, as if he wanted to see what the fox could do, and not the other way around. Now though, when danger was eminent and unavoidable, he knew Sonic would not hold back. The hedgehog did not exactly strike him as the hero-in-disguise, but, then again, he did not really know him. He knew _of_ him, of course – who didn't? – but he could not help but feel that his impression of him from rumors were incorrect.

So, he trudged his way – with a miniscule amount of haste – through the undergrowth, fully intent on playing the cowardly eight-year-old and sit this one out, just so he could watch. He emerged into a small clearing, already wrapping his tails around his body for the small amount of protection they offered, and felt his eyes widen at the sight.

Twenty. At least twenty men – varying species from dogs to bears to birds-of-prey – were present. They looked intimidating, armed to the tips of their ears with bows and arrows, knives, and differing styles of swords.

Or, at least, they _would_ be intimidating, if they weren't all currently sprawled face-first in the dirt, knocked out cold. Tails felt his eyes narrow and his right ear twitch slightly as he stared at the smirking blue hedgehog standing in the middle of them, completely calm and collected. His left hand was lazily placed on a cocky hip, while his right was cupping his head, his face tilting into the cradle of his digits, looking down right smug.

"Took you long enough, young User." The hedgehog grinned, gesturing idly toward the ruffians – almost all currently groaning and some even attempting to sit up. "I already took care of it. Did you get lost?"

Tails chose not to answer, instead focusing on the man closest to him – who the fox decided was the leader, after catching sight of the knuckle-free gloves of a Gaia User – who happened to be stirring. He sighed, lashing a whip of water out of nowhere and cracking the man across the skull, knocking him back out. The hedgehog raised an eye ridge, his face unreadable.

"Yes?" Tails asked after the hedgehog had been staring at him for longer than necessary.

Sonic shook his head. "It's nothing."

The fox scowled, and looked ready to respond, but a crashing sound from the forest behind them cut his retort off in his throat. He whipped around, hands raised to blast the intruder with a wave of water if they seemed hostile, and squinted, his ears straining.

A small form stumbled into the clearing, panting heavily, with one hand resting over his heart and the other on something at his hip. He fell to the ground, his chest heaving violently, as if he had run a marathon. He stayed that way for a few seconds before Sonic moved toward him, smiling smugly.

"Ray?" The hedgehog questioned, bending down and poking the other Mobian in the stomach. The smaller one glared and swatted the blue one away before sitting up, seemingly recovered.

"Sonic." He greeted in a voice that tried too hard to be unemotional. "You're out of jail?"

The hedgehog rolled his eyes, holding out a hand to heave the other to his feet. The newly identified Ray ignored the hand and jumped up on his own.

Now that he was fully standing, Tails swept critical eyes over him. He was a yellow squirrel –_ wait, flying Squirrel,_ he thought as the squirrel raised his arms in a stretch – with dark eyes and a small tan vest. His shoes were normal, leather. There was a belt slung low on his hips, a rather large sword hanging dangerously from it; a bow and quiver of arrows slung across his back completed the picture, and Tails felt himself squirm a little.

Swords were not hard to come by on Mobius, but for someone outside of the Royal Guard, it was unusual. The squirrel looked about thirteen or fourteen; not exactly young, but still a little too young for him to have his own sword.

As if he could read his mind, Sonic quirked his eyebrow when Ray rested his gloved hand – white, like those of noble birth – on the pommel of the sword. "Nice steel." He commented, whistling through his teeth.

"Thanks." The squirrel answered, smiling slightly. "Just got it six months ago."

Sonic nodded, his own smile breaking loose. "I'm proud of you."

Tails coughed lowly, hoping to bring himself into the conversation. However, a different young voice stopped him.

"_Ray, hvem er det_?" The voice was distinctly female, and seemed to come from above him. Tails craned his head back, trying to see who it belonged to.

"_Det er_ ... um ... _en gammel venn_, _Prinsesse…_" The squirrel answered quickly, cutting Sonic off when he opened his mouth to answer. "_Kaze no Kishi_."

"_Kaze no Kishi_? !" The little girl squealed, launching herself out of the tree she had been hiding in. All Tails saw was a brown blur before it collided with Sonic, sending the hedgehog to the ground. "_Sonikku-san! Anata ga inakute sabishikatta! Anata wa dono yō ni shite ita no_?"

The hedgehog laughed, green eyes sparkling as he gazed up at the little girl. She was a rabbit, dressed in a simple orange and white dress, with matching white gloves – which crawled all the way to her elbows – covering her hands. There was a small, strange creature buzzing around her head, blue in color and seemingly created purely out of spheres. It spoke in a short variety of squeaks, all of which sounded strangely like the word "chow".

"It's good to see you too, Cream." Sonic answered affectionately, nodding toward Ray who extracted the rabbit from the hedgehog's stomach. He sat up, smirking. "Have you been a good girl?"

"Oh yes, Sonikku-san!" She answered quickly, making the switch in languages easily. "Mamma says that I'll be the most well-mannered queen Kanína has ever seen!"

"Does she now?" Sonic chuckled, glancing at Ray. "What're you doing all the way out there?" He asked after her enthusiastic nod.

"Mr. Ray was taking me to visit with the Princessa of the Robotnik Empire." She answered, uneasily glancing at her feet. "We were supposed to receive each other at the Mobian castle, but we got attacked and…" She bit her lip, eyes darting around her to the knocked out men around her. "Are they going to be alright?"

Sonic smiled kindly, bending down. "They'll be fine, but we need to get out of here. Can you walk a little further?"

"_Ja_." She answered with a nod in the affirmative.

"Good." Glancing up, Sonic caught Tails' eye and jerked his head toward the little girl. "C'mere, young User." Tails picked his way over to the trio, his expression stony. They were losing precious daylight, and Sonic was worrying about some _girl_? "Meet Prinsesse Cream." The hedgehog swept his hand toward the small rabbit, winking at Cream and eliciting a giggle from the little girl. "Princess of the Kanína Nation. You help her along while Ray and I lead. Can you do that?"

Tails sighed, bowing low toward the small royal. "It would be my pleasure to escort the princess." His words were clipped, but the girl still took it as a compliment. She giggled again and took the fox's proffered hand with grace, turning to the hedgehog and squirrel.

The two elder Mobians shared a grimace before turning and darting into the forest. Tails took off at a slower pace, allowing the small rabbit and her tiny blue companion time to keep up with him. They did so with ease, prompting the fox to speed up a little, which she matched just as easily. Soon enough, they were racing slightly, seeing who could set the fastest pace. Tails grinned, feeling free and like a child for the first time in ages.

Up ahead of them, the hedgehog and squirrel were hissing at each other in low voices.

"What're you doing this far off course, Sonic?" Ray questioned, glancing forward to make sure he wouldn't run into a tree. "You're over five miles from where you need to be!"

The hedgehog scoffed, jerking his head toward their followers. "Kid lost control of his speed and sent the both of us over a cliff and into a river."

The squirrel's eyes widened. "How'd you get out?"

Sonic's expression and voice deadpanned. "Tails is a _Water_ User."

"Oh…" Ray's face reddened. "Right." He paused, glancing back to look at the fox and rabbit. "What're you gonna do now?"

Sonic shrugged. "Kid still thinks he needs to find Knuckles. I think we need to go to Harinezumi though…"

The squirrel thought this over for a bit, allowing his body to fall into a steady jog. Next to him, Sonic was staring at his gloves, specifically the bright orange and red swirls that dictated his place as a royal quest-taker. "Harinezumi is that way." Ray jerked his head to the right, smiling at his friend. "And Knuckles is that way." He nodded to the left. "You're decision, though…" He trailed off. "You don't think Tails will notice if you head west instead of east?"

The hedgehog's expression went stony and he stared straight ahead with dark green eyes. "He might have been able to tell in the past, but… He won't now. Not anymore."

o0o

Back at the palace, a young, pink hedgehog female was preparing the princess' bed chamber for the night. She turned the mattress, fluffed the pillows, and changed the bedding steadily, like she had done the job many a time. Swiftly, she made her way into the washroom set off to the side of the room, yanking on the lever to the well and pumping fresh water into a small stone basin. Grabbing a small, soft towel out of the adjacent linen cabinet, she submerged the cloth in the water.

Easily, she swept back into the bedroom, opening the princess' wardrobe and grabbing her sleepwear out. Laying the robes on the bed and smoothing them over, she nodded once before turning towards the doorway, her skirts swishing at her ankles. She was barefoot, the princess requesting that no soiled shoes walk on the plush carpeting in her bedroom. Quickly, she rushed to the door, realizing she was running late. Her job was to set up the bedchamber while the princess was away; she was never to be seen by anyone of significance, adding to the magic of the changing status of the monarch's room.

She slipped out of the door, easing it closed behind her with a soft click. Making sure it was completely shut, she then turned to hurry to the kitchen.

Until she slammed roughly into someone, sending both her and the other crashing to the floor.

"I'm so sorry." She had no idea who she was apologizing to, but she figured that getting it out before the other person could start punishing her would be best.

"It's quite alright. I've taken many a fall in my time."

The voice that met her ears was a soft one, reassuring and familiar. The young maid's eyes widened and she sputtered, falling over herself to get to her feet and then help the other woman to her feet.

"My princess!" She all but yelled, easing the girl upwards. "I apologize for my clumsiness! I should have been watching where I was going!"

The princess laughed to herself, relaxing the other with a wave of her hand. "I told you, it's alright, Lady Amy."

The hedgehog sputtered again, her eyes widening once more. "Y-you know my name? !"

"Why of course – I make it a priority to know the names of all of my ladies-in-waiting."

"Well…" Amy trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "I'm flattered, your highness. If you'll excuse me, I need to get to the kitchen to help deliver food to the young soldiers." She turned then to continue on her way, but the princess stopped her.

"Lady Amy," she called, rushing forward and grabbing the hedgehog's hand to stop her. "Please, come into my chambers and speak with me. I have something I need to ask of you."

The hedgehog cocked her head to the side questioningly, making sure to keep her eyes lowered. "Yes, my princess." The words were clipped, with a hint of some sort of hidden meaning behind them, but Amy followed her into the room just the same.

Once inside, Tikal eased the door closed and crossed the room to do the same with the window. Once she was sure the room was secure, she half-threw herself on the bed, motioning Amy to come sit beside her by patting the mattress.

The pink female did so timidly, sitting with her back straight and on the edge, prepared to rush out if commanded.

"You are of the visiting royalty, yes?" Tikal questioned after a time, causing Amy's ears to twitch.

"Yes…" She answered following a pause, weighing her answer.

It was standard practice for all of the noble families to send their girls to pay court with the princess or queen. Usually, they acted as ladies-in-waiting, because those were the people who were closest to the royal women, and it was considered an honor to be able to serve the queen or princess so closely. Amy herself had just arrived from a distant land last week, and she wasn't exactly pleased with the arrangements she had been given.

"Where are you from, exactly, my dear?" The Echidnian princess inquired, shaking her spikes out of their bindings.

Amy paused again, thinking through her response. Why, exactly, did the princess want to know? What was so important about one lady-in-waiting to one of the most powerful women in the country? "Harinezumi Nation, milady."

Tikal clucked her tongue, running her fingers through her loose – and slightly flaring – spikes. "Hm…" She trailed off, her bright blue eyes sparking in the low candlelight. "Do you have any Gifts, Lady Amy?"

For some reason, Amy felt her heart speed up in her chest, and she shook her head quickly, gulping. "N-no." She barked out with a little more force than necessary. "I'm not among the Gifted."

"Unfortunate." The princess sighed, laying back into the cushion. "You would be much more valuable to me if you had a skill…"

Amy could feel the temperature drop at that statement, and she hesitated before responding. "I apologize, my princess."

"Tell me, Lady Amy, who escorted you here?" The question was unexpected, and Amy took three beats to answer.

"My brother."

"Ah, yes." Tikal hummed. "I remember seeing him in court. Green hedgehog. Gruff. Looked about the same age as you…" She trailed off, but her tone prompted the hedgehog to respond.

"We're twins."

"Oh? Hm…" Tikal closed her eyes, picking at her gloves to keep her hands busy. "Your brother wouldn't happen to be named Manic, would he?"

Amy's eyes widened, but she forced her expression into stolidity when the princess rose back to a sitting position. "Yes, he would."

"So, that would make you, Amy, princess of the Harinezumi Nation, am I right, my dear?"

"Yes, milady."

"What are you doing here, dear?" Tikal's response was unexpected and Amy felt her ear twitch again. "Don't you have a country to be running?"

"My mother runs the nation." Amy answered a little too quickly, prompting Tikal to stare at her critically. "My brother and I only handle small domestic issues. It was decided I would serve a better purpose here, serving under you." Her tone was almost sour, but her face didn't lend to that.

"I see…" Tikal trailed off once more, leaning toward the pink female. "Hm, since you're obviously bitter, I have a proposition for you."

Amy sat up straighter still, her quills flaring around her head. "Yes, my princess?"

"What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room. Understood?"

"O-of course, milady."

A sharp nod. "Very good. Tomorrow, at dawn, we are expected to receive an ambassador from Earth, a human princess. I am going to assign you to be her lady-in-waiting while she is here. Care for her every need, become her best friend, earn her trust. While you are doing this, I need you to listen closely to everything she says. She is from the Robotnik court – the leading family in Earth right now – and she is supposedly here to begin peace talks. I cannot be so sure. I need you to tell me if anything suspicious happens around her. Can you do that?"

Amy stared down at her hands for a few seconds, seeming to mull the proposal over. Eventually, she nodded once, knowing better than to refuse a direct offer from the princess.

"Very good. You can go now. Tell the cook that I'm sorry that I kept you."

The pink hedgehog rose slowly, making sure to turn and curtsy before backing out of the room.

In the hallway, she threw her shoes back on and darted down the hall, her mind a-spin.

o0o

Blaze sighed, pulling her cloak tighter around her body, shielding herself from the curious and amused gazes of Manic and Rouge. She huffed to herself, yanking her gloves back onto her hands when she noticed the dingy appearance of the bar around her, wishing for the twentieth time that she had just worn her Fire User gloves and not these restricting, full hand ones. If she wanted to do any type of fighting or Using, she'd have to pull the gloves off or risk incinerating them.

"So, Lady Blaze," Rouge's voice wasn't rude, but her posture practically mocked Blaze where she sat, "what're you doing all the way out here? Do you not live in the lovely town of Marble?"

Blaze scowled, propping her elbow on the bar in front of her and resting her head into her cupped palm. Her expression spoke volumes of her opinion of her hometown, and she didn't need to elaborate. Rouge raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anymore before turning to Manic, inquiring on his own travels.

After introductions had been made – Blaze completely blown away that a _prince_ stood before her –, Rouge offered to let the two of them clean up and rest for a few hours in her bar. The night crowd had been scared away by Blaze's fireballs and her theatrical attack, and the place was barren. The bat was ready to close up for the night, but she claimed that she had nothing better to do, so she let them in. Before following the two reluctantly, Blaze had taken the time to claim her – Silver's – discarded cloak and her gloves, not wishing to lose them just yet.

So, here she now sat, running a gloved finger around the rim of a glass of water, watching as Manic downed a thick cup of some type of alcoholic beverage. He refused another cup however, instead taking the time to glare down at his soiled gloves as he answered Rouge's probing questions.

"I was escorting my sister." He replied shortly, tone leaving no room for elaboration. He sighed, rubbing the once pristine fabric of his gloves between two fingers, his green furred hands stark against the mud-stained material.

Rouge noticed his slightly-moping face and she grunted before reaching under the bar and producing a white, full pair of gloves. She shoved them at the prince, watching in amusement as he was startled out of his thoughts as he was pelted in the head. He grumbled, picking up the gloves and looking at them with a critical eye.

After about three seconds, he placed them back on the bar, pushing them across the polished wood toward the bat. "I can't accept these." Came his explanation, and Rouge rolled her eyes, sliding them back toward him with one finger.

"Yes, you can. I didn't buy them. Tons of gloves are left here every night, lost gambling bets, drunken weapons, what have you, and I just put them under here," she indicated under the counter. "I don't need them. I've got my own." She presented her hands briefly, showcasing her own User-friendly gloves. They were palm less, signaling a Water User and Blaze bit her lip, feeling uneasy once more. "Which reminds me…" The bat trailed off, bending down and riffling through the large stacks of gloves she had stashed. A few moments later, she popped back up, holding a fingerless pair, which she presented to Blaze. The purple Mobian didn't dare refuse like Manic, knowing that someone was surely smiling down on her. It was only luck that got her a Fire friendly pair. These were hard to come by outside of the major cities, and even then, they were expensive.

"Thank you." She breathed, carefully extracting her old pair and slipping the new ones on. She curled her fingers, testing the fabric, and was pleased when the material yielded easily. These were broken in. Excellent.

Rouge just grunted in return, turning to place the bottle of whatever alcoholic beverage Manic had been sampling back into the cabinet behind her. When she opened the door, Blaze blinked as a sharp, blue, almost supernatural light flared from within, nearly blinding her because she was staring right at it. Rouge seemed to notice her preoccupation and she slammed the cabinet closed, scowling.

"What was-?" Manic tried to ask, but the bat cut him off.

"None of your concern." Rouge answered, her voice clipped. "I'm a treasure hunter on the side." She elaborated when neither of their faces looked remotely satisfied. "I have yet to return that little beauty to its rightful owner."

Blaze barely kept the sneer off of her face. Whoever heard of a female treasure hunter? It was absurd – women didn't _need_ to do that type of thing. But, then she saw the expression on Rouge's face and she amended herself, changing her tune. She knew a treasure hunter after all, and he wasn't exactly the sanest person you would ever meet. If this Rouge person felt that was what she needed to do, then Blaze wasn't going to judge her.

They sat in silence after that, Blaze still not taking a sip of her water. She glanced out of the side of her eye, watching as Manic finally put his new gloves on and flexed his hands, repeating her actions of testing the fabric. He looked satisfied, and tapped the counter once before speaking.

"I need to get going." He mumbled, glancing up at Rouge through the quills that hung low over his eyes. "How much do I owe you?"

The bat waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it, honey." She winked at him. "Just take care of yourself. I don't want to see you getting beat up again."

Manic smirked. "You know me Rouge," he retorted, standing and stretching, "I can't stand it when idiots harass a lady."

The bat scowled. "I could've handled it."

"I'm sure you could have. I didn't want you to have to compromise yourself though."

Rouge threw a glass at his head, which he ducked with ease. "Just get out of here. Don't be a stranger."

He waved a hand as he ambled out of the doors, turning to crack a grin at Blaze and nod once in thanks toward her for saving him earlier. Then, he was gone.

Blaze stared after him for a while, wincing when Rouge placed a hand on her shoulder. "You got a place to stay for the night?"

The cat shook her head, biting her lip. She didn't want to impose on Rouge anymore than she had to, so she stood, getting ready to refuse.

The bat must have caught the expression on her face, because she sighed. "Where're you headed?" She asked instead, changing the conversation track.

Blaze sighed, shaking her head. "I can't pronounce it; never could. Hary- Harrinumi-" She groaned mentally.

"Harinezumi?" Rouge asked, her expression flat. Once Blaze nodded, her face was almost drearily void of emotion. "Manic's price of the Harinezumi Nation…" She trailed off, hoping Blaze would catch her drift.

"Wait…" Blaze felt her face heat up as a blush crept its way into her cheeks. She quickly attributed her cluelessness to a lack of sleep, and hastily thanked Rouge for her hospitality before spinning around and rushing out of the door, hoping that Manic hadn't gotten too far.

Her wish was granted when, three feet from the door, she ran right into him, almost knocking him to the ground. He grinned at her, his arms snaking around her waist to keep her upright as she tried to stumble backwards, away from him. She scowled once she was stable and she struggled backwards, out of his arms, feeling her cheeks flame again.

"What're you still doing here?" She demanded before he could speak, glaring at him for putting her into this compromising position.

"My sense of chivalry reared its head so I came back to see if you needed help getting somewhere. Besides, you saved me; it's the least I could do."

Blaze sighed. A logical excuse. "I need to go to the Harinezumi Nation, Prince Manic." She replied shyly, hoping not to impose.

"That's where I'm headed. I'll take you." He smirked at her, offering his arm, which she took timidly. "And drop the prince title. Only my mother calls me that, and only when she's extremely angry."

o0o

Sonic and Tails decided to sleep in a new clearing with Ray and Cream. There was a safety in numbers and Tails had to admit – even if it was only to himself – that after their last disastrous night, he was a bit nervous to be alone with Sonic. The hedgehog had a strange _knowing_ quality, like he knew things about Tails that even the fox wasn't aware of. The whole notion was absurd, but he wasn't one to deny his instincts, despite his reliance on knowledge and learning every once in a while.

So, in all actuality, he barely slept. His mind was awhirl with all that had happened that day, from the strange princess knowing a Mobian prisoner to the way Ray had been staring at Tails himself all evening after they had settled in the clearing. The small rabbit girl had curled against Tails' right side, falling asleep minutes later with a small sigh. Her strange blue creature settled on top of her head and was snoozing as well soon after, snores soft and high pitched. The yellow squirrel had taken to looking intently at Tails after that, ignoring the way Sonic tried to make conversation.

Eventually, after several attempts to get Ray to look away, Tails sighed and declared that it was time to go to sleep himself. Sonic had nodded approvingly at that, looking for the entire world like a concerned guardian. Ray had sent him a look after that, which made him halt mid-head bob and look fixedly at his hands, like they were the cause of his reaction. Tails had watched the strange exchange with raised eyebrows, but chose not to comment. Instead, he eased Cream's head off of his lap and curled himself into a ball, using his tails as blankets.

The clearing quieted after that, the only sound that penetrated was Ray and Sonic fighting over who would take the first watch. Eventually, it was decided to be Sonic, because he required less sleep and Ray propped himself against a tree close by before closing his eyes, his sword clutched in his hands.

Tails heard Cream sigh to herself and then a squeak as she rolled over and squeezed her blue pet, and all was silent, besides the crackle of the dying fire.

Tails laid awake for hours, listening to the soft sound of Sonic's breathing and feeling his own synchronizing as well. He flipped over multiple times, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground, but was never truly successful. Somehow, he ended up facing the fire and his blue eyes stared deep into it, the oranges and yellows reflected in his irises. The flames were dancing in slight breeze, barely manipulated by the invisible force of the gust. In a way, he saw Sonic in the blaze… Both were untamable, hot tempered, but, somehow, warm, at least to those that sought them out.

It was strange, Tails thought to himself, his eyes sweeping lazily to look at the hedgehog. His green eyes winked back at him in the darkness, staring attentively back at him. _Sonic's so calm, the complete opposite of what I thought an attempted murderer would be_…

Now that he had been around the blue Mobian for an extended amount of time, he had a hard time believing that he had attempted to hurt _anyone_, especially after seeing him take off to save Cream after she had screamed. It had hard for him to equate the kind, protective presence sitting a few feet away with the fierce, unforgiving image society had given him.

"Go to sleep, Tails." A soft voice whispered across the clearing. "Nothing will hurt you."

Somehow, the command penetrated deep into his subconscious, and he felt himself slipping away without his command. He was out seconds later.

o0o

When Tails next became of the world, it had to be hours later, as Sonic and Ray were whispering to each other. It was time for the watch change, they agreed in hushed tones and a few twigs snapped as they traded places.

"Anything interesting happen?" Ray asked in a whisper.

"No." Sonic's answer was quick. "Cream is a bit restless, but Cheese soothed her back to sleep."

"Good." The squirrel answered.

Silence descended again, but it only last a few minutes before Sonic's voice spoke again.

"He still sleeps the same way."

Tails felt his back tense, despite his struggle against the action.

"It's only been two years." He heard Ray answer back. "And, he's still young. He wouldn't have changed much in that amount of time."

"The last time I saw him, he was six and he was ordering me around…" Sonic chuckled. "The first time I saw him after my imprisonment, he was so… _subjugated_… He hung on every word she said… I don't know if I'll be able to break him of the mindset…"

Tail's mind was a mess of confusion. They were obviously talking about him, because he was the only other male present besides the two of them, but he had no idea what they were getting at…

"You know him better than anyone, Sonic. I'm sure you'll be able to break it to him."

_I must be dreaming…_ Tails thought to himself. _That explains all of this_…

"I don't know, Ray…"

_I'll wake up any second now and it'll all make sense._

"Soon enough, he'll be calling you his _Nii-sama_ again."

_Any second now…_

"I hope so, Ray. I certainly hope so."

o0o

The figure was a living shade, precise in movement and dark in demeanor. It moved fluidly, not a single pause in its movement. It knew what it was doing as it slipped through the window, landing as if it existed inside a vacuum, no sound coming from it. The slight breeze, so small that it barely gusted the leaves along the ground, made more noise than the sinister figure. It held itself with prestige, knowing that it was untouchable and impervious to any type of threat. It smirked, grin tugging at the corners of a dark mouth and red eyes sparkling in the dark, like dying embers, cold and unfeeling.

The shape practically floated over to the sleeping figure in the bed, the smirk growing to a dark grin. It reached out a black gloved hand, gripping the topmost blanket. With a strong yank, it revealed a sleeping figure, only about sixteen, with red fur and soft rodent-like features. She slept peacefully, stuck in dreamland, and knew nothing of what was going on around her.

With a dark chuckle, the shadow narrowed its eyes, reaching toward the sleeping girl, intent completely hidden in its hooded eyes.

Until, suddenly, a bright ball of green blasted from the slumbering female's hand. It catapulted out of her fingers and slammed into the intruding shade with enough force to send it stumbling backwards, strange curses in a different language exploding out of the figure's mouth. He – now revealed to be a male – held up a hand to his face, gripping where the ball had singed the black fur on his face.

"What the hell, Tikal? !" Shadow the Hedgehog yelled toward his attacker, eyes bright in the darkness with barely restrained power.

The princess sat up, pulling the blankets around her torso and chest in a small sort of modesty. "Shadow." She greeted, brushing a few of her red spikes away from her face. "If you didn't insist on stalking around like some sort of demon-possessed creature, I wouldn't react without thinking."

Shadow growled low in his throat, still clutching his face.

Tikal sighed, placing her own hand over her heart. "What do you want, Shadow?" She asked once it became apparent that he wouldn't be starting a conversation any time soon.

"I came _here_," he spat the word like it was poison, "to inform you that it is done." He didn't need to elaborate on what 'it' was.

The princess' eyebrows rose and she _ticked_ under her breath. "Is it now? So quickly… Are you sure?"

The hedgehog nodded once, precisely. "The Water User ran into the blue hedgehog at high speeds, sending them back careening. I simply guided them toward a cliff, where they went over and landed in a river." He smirked again. "Neither came back up."

Tikal's face dropped into a flat expression. "You do realize that the child is a _Water_ User, correct?"

If the dark hedgehog were anyone else, he would have scoffed. "Of course I do," he replied bitterly. "Even if _he_ made it out, there's no way that Fire User did. Swimming isn't something they're well versed in." He grinned darkly, flicking tiny bits of green Chaos Energy off his fingertips like small stars. "Besides, being submerged like that would have extinguished his Core for at least a week. There's no way they'll survive if he can't Wield."

Tikal rubbed her temples, fingers kneading into red fur. "You're positive you did not see them surface?"

"Yes."

"Very well then. I trust you, Shadow. You have done well. Feel free to go to the kitchen and grab something to eat and drink. Then, in the morning, report back here. I need to think of a place to hide you until I can clear you of your outcast status."

The hedgehog nodded once before bowing slightly, more of a mockery of the move than anything else, and slinked out of the room backwards.

o0o

When Shadow darted through the corridors in the direction of Tikal's room after visiting the kitchen, it was late morning, well past dawn. The dark, oppressing curtain of night had lifted its hold on the palace for the day, and the bright rays of the sun were filtering their way through the stain glass windows, painting the whole building in soft pastel colors. The red carpeting practically shone in the day time and the stone walls had lost their cold appearance, instead warming like a conductor.

Shadow kept to the dark corners, only daring to rush down a hall when it was completely clear on both sides. He was not – under any circumstances – supposed to enter the castle, and he didn't think the captain of the guard would take kindly to him bolting around like it was his personal playground, so he was wary. He would check and then double check every angle before dashing to his new hiding place.

Slightly, he wished he hadn't fallen asleep in one of the storerooms, but he had been awake for almost thirty-six consecutive hours. His body only required a minimal amount of sleep, but he had already been pushing it when he chose to come back to the palace instead of sleeping somewhere in the forest, and the following few hours had really taken it out of him. It was a surprise that he had managed to slip into the palace so easily last night, considering how dead tired he had been.

So, yes, he had slept, and he was regretting it now. The light of day illuminated the whole building, making it almost impossible for him to get back to Tikal's room unnoticed. He had to resort to playing hide-and-seek with the unknowing guards, ducking around corners and hiding in the shadows when one of them passed. It was tedious and he was started to get antsy.

He sighed, grumbling to himself and turned a corner without checking it, because it was practically silent in this wing. He was pretty sure he was in the area dedicated to sleeping quarters for visitors – royals from other countries – and, as far as he knew, there weren't any of those around right now. Of course, he hadn't been around the palace for the past few weeks, so he really had no idea.

Luckily, this hall was barren and he made it all the way down without problems. He ducked down beside a small stand holding a tall vase of flowers – white lilies, imported from Harinezumi or Shokuminchi if his guess was correct – and closed his eyes, listening for any type of sign of life in the next hall.

His ears twitched as a small scuffling sound – someone dragging their feet across the carpet – whispered from around the corner. It was soft and alone, meaning only one person. Quickly, however, he realized that there was another set, this one shorter in length, signaling someone shorter than the first person, moving quickly toward the owner of the first set. Almost as soon as he realized, a young, female voice spoke.

"Where are you going, Princessa?" The girl inquired quietly as both sets of footsteps paused.

"Just looking around, Lady Amy." Shadow's eyes widen a fraction of an inch, and he felt his heart pick up when the second voice met his ears. It was a voice that he recognized, but from so long ago, he had thought he had forgotten it…

"Would you like me to show you around, Princessa?"

"No, I'm fine." The second voice was female as well, but seemed a tad bit older than the first, and Shadow's eyes were almost as large as dinner plates now. He rose from his crouch, using the flower stand to help him keep his balance. Easily, he leaned around the corner, making sure only his eyes and forehead were visible.

Shadow the Hedgehog did not shock easily. He was very proud of his nerve and stoic view of the world. So, when his eyes were finally able to comprehend what he was seeing, it was a testament to his strong training that he didn't react beyond a gaping expression that closely resembled a fish.

A young human girl, around fifteen years old, if his assumptions were correct, with short blond hair that framed her face like the rays of the sun. It barely brushed her shoulders, teasing at her neckline. She was dressed in a simple blue dress, carelessly taken care of, he observed, staring at her muddy hem. She was pale, with legs that looked so frail there was no way she played on them like a normal child. Her face was of a recognizable shape, round and open and _familiar_ to the hedgehog. He could feel his breathing picking up, getting caught in his throat as his heart clogged the passage. Finally, his line of sight trailed up to her eyes, and he was floored. Pools of blue, so thick with emotion and kindness, stared toward him, unblinking. They seemed to have caught sight of him peeking around the corner, and they narrowed as the girl tried to place his familiar red orbs.

Slowly, she moved toward him, and he tried to back away, tried to rush back he way he had come, but he couldn't. Her gaze held his own, locked him in position and he struggled to get his legs to _move_, but they wouldn't listen, forcing him to face down this ghost of the past.

The girl in front of him was supposed to be dead; he had been _told_ point blank that she had died in a misunderstanding, something he himself had inadvertently caused. Both she and her father, gone in an instant. Shadow's whole world had vanished in that moment, and now his mind was spinning, trying to figure out _how_ this person could be approaching him here in a distant castle in Mobius. He vaguely noticed the pink hedgehog girl behind her but he was zeroed in on the human as she moved ever closer, reaching out a hand.

When she was three feet away from him, he finally regained control of his body and he stumbled backward, knocking over the lilies in his haste to get away. The vase clattered onto the carpet, unhurt, spilling water and sending the flowers scattering. He was in full view of the two girls now, his eyes wide and almost-wild as he dashed away, still facing them. He practically _flew_ down the hallway, pivoting around a corner and running down a few more halls before eventually crashing to the floor in a heap of gasping breaths and shivering quills.

"_¿Shadow? Shadow, ¿qué estás haciendo aqui?_" The human yelled after him in her native tongue, a language that Shadow had thought he had forgotten two years ago. He placed his hands over his ears and struggled to his feet, recognizing how close the voice was. He skidded around another corner and ducked behind a curtain, thanking Chaos that it was long enough to cover his feet.

Seconds later, the human and her hedgehog companion pounded past him, the blond girl still shouting after him. He watched them go, his heart pounding in his chest and placed a hand over the pumping organ. The footsteps faded and he deemed it safe to emerge a few moments later.

However, before he could, the curtain was ripped away from him, and he jerked his head up to look at the slightly-taller human girl standing in front of him, expression somehow a combination of worry and frustration. She barked something at him in her first language and he felt his ears snap down into his skull. He backed away, and winced when his quills bumped into the window behind him. The grimace on his face seemed to make the girl pause and she tilted her head to the side, analyzing his every feature.

He found himself doing the same, reassuring himself that this was _her_, his best friend, the only person he had ever truly trusted… One look into her eyes – he dimly noticed that she had a lily tucked behind her ear – affirmed his suspicions, and he felt his heart lose its grip on its holding in his throat, instead choosing to drop into his shoes. This was – she was – how was – what – this _was_…

"Maria…"

* * *

><p><em>Translation done on Google Translate. Probably wrong. Also, I wasn't comfortable translating Shadow's name, so I kept it as is.<em>

_Translations: _

_Norwegian _

_Ray, hvem er det_? – Ray, who is there?

_Det er_ ... um ... _en gammel venn_, _Prinsesse. –_ It is… um… an old friend, Princess.

_Japanese_

_Kaze no Kishi – _Knight of the Wind

_Sonikku-san! Anata ga inakute sabishikatta! Anata wa dono yō ni shite ita no_? – Mr. Sonic! I missed you! How are you?

_Nii-sama_ – Big brother

_Spanish_

_¿Shadow? Shadow, ¿qué estás haciendo aqui?_ – Shadow? Shadow, what are you doing here?

_Reviews are cherished._


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